Meet Mark and Maralyn DiPiazza of DiPiazzas in Long Beach

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark and Maralyn DiPiazza.

Mark and Maralyn, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
We have a shared passion for food and music so 33 years ago we threw caution to the wind and opened up a little restaurant in a beleaguered little building in Belmont Shore on Ocean Blvd. We would pick out music from a collection of vinyl we had been collecting since we were teens and our parent’s vintage collection. Our patrons always commented on our eclectic music. It was tough dropping that needle on the LP and running back into the kitchen to cook pies. Ten years in, one of our patrons was a wealthy doctor and multiple business owner who just happened to own the only Bowling Alley in Long Beach. Java Lanes. Now by then in the mid 90’s Java had seen better days – the owner was looking for someone to breath some life back into the old girl. So….my wife and I and our two pre-teen kids jumped in feet first. The first thing we did was replace the menu with our delectable Italian dishes. Pizza and bowling was a no brainer. From there we revamped the huge room that decades earlier had been a premiere music spot in Long Beach. I started booking bands and really gave the community what they were so hungry for. Unfortunately, the wealthy business owners were getting ready to retire and we could see the writing on the wall-they cashed out-sold the land and Condos are now in that location. But….before we left we were given an opportunity to buy a business up the road on Pacific Coast Highway. It had formerly been a swanky little seafood restaurant but had seen better days. It’s on the edge of Long Beach’s richly manicured Park Estates. So once again we brought in our menu and skills- music and passion. 17 years in and we don’t see any more moves in our future. My wife and I continue as chefs in our kitchen. I make every batch of pizza dough! In this business, you must be consistent. My wife does all the baking and makes all the sauces and dressings. When I’m not cooking I am booking entertainment. I have met so many wonderful entertainers over the years that have now become personal friends. I must admit I love the spotlight myself so you will find me on stage every Tuesday night when I host Trivia. My wife writes my material. Living and working together for 35 years had been a hella ride, but it works for us. I think we are a dying breed though-small mom and pop restaurants seem to be fading from the landscape. So much has changed since we first started out when we were in our 20’s. But one thing has stayed consistent- we still have our vinyls and our passion for food – cooking – music and each other

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When we first started out we had very little capital. We were going to flea markets and yard sales to scrap together our dining room-this was not cool yet-It was the 80’s-the aesthetics’ were not “shabby chic”

When we moved into our current location some residents in the neighborhood were very wary of us and our live music-they got local politicals involved and made it difficult to have a live music venue even though we went thru all the proper channels and had the permits.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Consistency and willingness to give your all-all the time.

Contact Info:

• Address: 5205 E Pacific Coast Highway,
  Long Beach
• Website: Www.dipiazzas.com
• Phone: 5624982461
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: Dipiazzas_bar_lounge
• Facebook: Dipiazzas

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.